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JOHN w. HYATT, JOHN H. srnvnrs, AND WILLIAM H. woon, or- NEWARK, NEW JnnsEY, ASSIGNORS TO THE GELLULOTD MANUFACTURING corr- PAXY, OF NEW YORK, N. ,Y.

MANUFACTURE OF CELLULOIUAND OTHER COMPOUNDS OF-PYROXYLINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 296,970, dated April 15, 1884.

Application filed March .22, 1884. (No specimens.)

To all 1072,0171, it may cancer/2 Be it known that we, J OHN 1V. HYATT, J OHN H. Srnvnns, and WILLIAM H. W001), citizens of the United States, and residents of Newark, 5 in the county of Essex and State of New J er- 1 sey, have invented certain new and useful IInprovements in the Manufacture of Celluloid and other Compounds of Pyroxyline, of which 4 the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of celluloid and other compounds ofpyroxyline; and it consists in certain novel processes, hereinafter described, an (1 particularly pointed out in the claims, whereby the process of manufacture is facilitated and simplified, and the necessity of breaking the cakes of material into pieces and stirring in the alcohol or other solvents prior to their subjection to heat and pressure, as has here- 'tofore been the practice, is entirely avoided.

In carrying our invention into effect we first grind the pyroxyline to a pulp, in connection with camphor and whatever pigments or coloring-matter may be required. In prac- 2 5 ticing this step in the manufacture we prefer to make use of the process described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 105,838, granted to J ohn \V. I-Iyatt and Isaiah S. Hyatt, July 12, 1870. IVe next form the pulp, pro- 0 duced as above described, into cakes of convenient proportions and'subj ect them to press ure between layers of bibulous material, (preferably blotting-paper,) for the purpose of abstracting the moisture therefrom, the bibulous 5 material being renewed from time to time until the cakes are dry. The cakes are then formed into a pile, applying at the time a sufficient quantity of liquid solvent to the surfaces of each cake to soften the pyroxyline. The pile 40 of cakes just described is allowed to remain in an air-tight, receptacle of any convenient nature until the solvents have permeated all of the cakes and reduced the pile to a solid mass. The length of time required for the solvents to thus affect the pile of cakes may vary according to circumstances but it will usually be found that if they are permitted to remain in the receptacle for a space of about fifteen hours the desired effect will ensue.

The block of material formed by the action of the solvents upon the pile of cakes is now out into pieces of convenient size and shape for handling, which are subjected to mixing or mastication in heated rolls of the usual kinds, after which the material will be in a condition for manipulation in a stufiingmachine; or it may be pressed into blocks and cut into sheets or other convenient forms.

The thickness of the cakes formed from the pulp as above set forth and the consistency of the solvent applied to soften them will in a measure depend upon each other. For instance, if the liquid solvent is employed in its ordinary fluid condition, it will be found desirable to make the cakes thin-say about onesixteenth of an inch in thicknesssince but a comparatively small amount of solvent is held by their surfaces. Where it is desired to form the pulp into thicker cakes, the fluidity of the solvents should be reduced by dissolving a smallproportion of pyroxyline in them. If the solvent be made of about sixty parts of wood-alcohol to one part of camphor and two parts of pyroxyline, it may be successfully used in treating cakes of about three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness; and when a larger proportion of pyroxyline is dissolved in the solvent, a cake of greater thickness may be treated according to our process without difficulty.

YVhenever it is desired to make use of the clear liquid solvents, we retainthe necessary proportion thereof between the cakes by means of some suitable absorbent materialsuch as cloth, linen toweling, &c.-the thickness of the absorbent material depending mainly upon the size of the cake, and the consequent amount of solvent necessary. \Vhere about fifty per cent. of liquid to the weight of the pyroxyline in the material is required,

the thickness of the linen pad should be about least, should be of a nature which'will not readily adhere to the cakes.

Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A process in which pyroxyline is first ground to a pulp, then pressed into cakes and dried, and the said cakes softened with the required amount of liquid solvent by being formed into a pile with the solvent betweenthe cakes, and then mixed or masticated in heated rolls or other suitable apparatus.

2. A process in which pyroxyline is first ground to a pulp, then formed into cakes and dried, and the cakes softened with a liquid solvent by being formed into a pile, the solvents being held between the cakes by means of suitable pads, the material being afterward mixed or masticated in heated rolls or other suitable apparatus, substantially as described.

3. A process in which pyroxyline is first ground to a pulp and pressed into cakes and dried, the proper amount of liquid solvent introduced by spreading the solvent in a viscid condition between the cakes, and the whole then mixed or masticated in heated rolls or 20 other suitable apparatus, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 20th day of March, A. D. 1884.

JOHN \V. I-IYATT. JOHN H. STEVENS. \VILLIAM H. \VOOD.

XVitnesses:

CHAS. C. GILL, HERMAN GUSTOW. 

